Our final research papers are in full swing! On Friday, our rough drafts were due to Susan- both an electronic and a hard copy- by 5 pm.
Susan told us, “Make the drafts as complete as possible. But remember, this is a work in progress. The point is to get started. The more you can get down on paper the easier it is for the critics to make substantive comments. If you don’t complete a section, then sketch it out. If you’re stuck on organization or on the argument, say so. Try even at the draft stage to write clearly and correctly..”
While are rough drafts are just that-rough- all of the students in my class have tried to add as much substance to their papers as possible.
On Thursday, Susan gave us the guidelines for our rough drafts, and also split us into four groups of four. We were assigned to ‘read three other papers and prepare a set of written comments on each one.” On Monday, we are going to “meet with the other readers in the classroom or break out rooms to discuss the paper in turn.” The goal of this workshop is to allow readers to offer their comments and allow the writers to respond and ask for guidance.
Susan gave us a list of general elements to evaluate the drafts, as well as guidelines for proper editorial etiquette.
Personally my paper is nowhere near perfect, so I am excited for my peers to edit my work. The paper took me quite a while to write, so I’ll be glad when I have an outsiders look at my draft. The draft took me about ten-twelve hours to complete, including topic choice, research, outlining, and actually writing, just to give you all an idea.
All of our papers must include a bibliography and either endnotes or footnotes done according to the Chicago Manual of Style. I have never used Chicago style before, so I am eager to obtain the help of our school librarians, other classmates, and Susan as well.
I’ll keep you updated throughout the week on our progress, as the papers are due Friday.
Have a great day, and I’ll write again soon!
-Nila
